Avner

Aye

Present

Aye

@AriGoodman: Until my questions are answered about Hyperpartisan Linda, she will not be confirmed. 

Press Release 02#

"Hyperpartisan Linda" wrong choice for Labor

Washington, D.C: Senator Ari Goodman expressed dismay over the appointment of Linda Chavez-Thompson as secretary of labor due to her unsuitable past as union leader of the ALF-CIO.  Several points of contention where raised about her suitability such as, In 2000, called for blanket amnesty of 6 million illegal immigrant workers. Advocated a raise for the minimum wage in 1996 and utilized the AFL-CIO as a mass political warhorse against small businesses. Her comments show her to be hyperpartisan and not a good fit for the department of labour, " One of the key areas for us this year is to gain voters within labor. Forty percent of our members vote Republican or have voted Republican in the past. We want to target any of these members and show them what their self-interest is and show them which of the candidates is concerned about their issues."  Senator Goodman stated to reporters he would lean no on Hyperpartisan Linda until he heard more from her during her confirmation hearing and that the president obviously choose her as a crony appointment instead of appointing better qualified candidates.

"Obviously I am not pleased about  Hyperpartisan Linda being chosen as secretary of labor. As a small business owner and farmer, her policies at the head of the ALF-CIO would have put me out of business along time ago. Not only her policy but her push to legalize 6 million illegal immigrant workers, taking away jobs from hard working Americans is the most concerning issue I have for her. Until my questions are answered, I'm a hard no."

There will be 24 hours to vote

Quote

 

Charter of the Republican National Committee 

 

PREAMBLE: The Republican National Committee is the national leadership structure serving the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for the platform of the party, election and fundraising strategy, and coordinating public relations. This document shall serve as the official charter of the RNC; mandating election procedure, the responsibilities of party leadership, and outlining administrative functions. 

 

Section 1: Leadership. 

 

1.1. Republican National Committee Leadership;

(a) The RNC shall hold an election for Chairman every two years, or upon vacancy of the position. 

(b) The Chairman of the RNC shall be given the authority to appoint a Chairman of the NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee).

(c) The Chairman of the RNC shall be given the authority to delegate other responsibilities as needed.

 

1.2. Republican Senate Caucus Leadership;

(a) The RNC shall elect a Republican Senate Leader following Congressional elections, or upon vacancy of the position. 

(b) The RNC shall elect a Republican Senate Whip following Congressional elections, or upon the vacancy of the position.

(c) The RNC shall elect a President Pro-tempore of the Senate following Congressional elections, or upon the vacancy of the position if the Majority is held. 

 

1.3. Leadership Structure; 

(a) The RNC Chairman shall lead the party publicly, organizing press relations, elections, fundraising, and the Presidential primaries. 

(b) The NRSC Chairman shall lead Congressional election strategy and assist the RNC Chairman in fundraising and serve in his/her place in their absence.

(c) The Republican Senate Leader shall lead the Republican Senate Caucus.

(d) The Republican Senate Whip shall assist the Republican Senate Leader and serve in his/her place in their absence.

(e) If any leader in sections (a) through (d) are absent for more than 7 days with no posts, no in character posts, and no declared Leave of Absence, he/she shall be stripped of their titles and the RNC Chairman shall immediately begin an election for the vacant position. 

 

1.4. Election Procedure; 

(a) All elections within the RNC and Senate Republican Caucus shall be conducted via an open vote in the RNC war room presided by the RNC Chairman or his appointed deputy. Any member approved prior to the conclusion of a vote shall be eligible to vote. 

(b) All members will be permitted to nominate or second an individual in the allotted time; all nominees must accept to be on the ballot. Self-nominations and self-seconds are accepted. 

(c) In the event no nominee receives 50%+1 of the votes, the top two nominees with the most votes will move to a subsequent round of voting until a majority of votes is obtained. 

(d) Leadership election votes shall last no shorter than 24 hours and no longer than 72 hours.

 

1.5. Vote of No Confidence; 

(a) Any member of the RNC may move for a Vote of No Confidence in any member of leadership and it will require (2) seconds by other members; a member shall provide basic reasoning for the motion to be valid. 

(b) A vote shall be commenced by the RNC Chairman or another member of leadership (with consideration given to whom is topic of the motion) requiring a 2/3 majority to pass.

(c) If a Vote of No Confidence is successful, an election will be commenced immediately by the RNC Chairman or his deputy. 

 

Section 2: Procedures. 

 

2.1. RNC Headquarters Access; 

(a) Any member of the RNC may move to restrict the war-room access of another member and it will require (2) seconds; a member shall provide basic reasoning for the motion to be valid.

(b) A public debate will be held where the member in question will be allowed to provide a defense for himself; this period will not last longer than 48 hours.

(c) A motion to restrict permanent RNC Headquarters Access of a member must receive 2/3 majority to pass.

(d) The RNC Chairman shall have the ability to temporarily restrict a members access to the RNC Headquarters until such a time where a vote can be held among the entire party to decide the members access. The RNC Chairman may not restrict a members access for longer than 72 hours without following the procedures laid out in this section.

 

2.2. Amending the Charter; 

(a) Any member may move to amend the charter and it will require (1) second. The member must indicate which section and subsection he or she is amending. 

(b) All motions to amend the charter will be debated and presided over by the RNC Chairman.

(c) All motions to amend the charter must receive a 2/3 majority vote to pass. 

 

Section 3: Republican Presidential Primaries.

 

3.1. Responsibilities;

(a) The RNC Chairman will have the authority to decide on matters of delegate rules and primary scheduling, arbitrating and solving any and all disputes among state party chapters during the primary process. 

(b) The RNC Chairman shall Chair the RNC Convention or appoint a member of the RNC to Chair the Convention.

(c) No individual occupying any of the positions mentioned in Section 1.1 and 1.2 will be permitted to contest in Republican Primaries while in office. The individual may request a waiver, provided it is supported by a 3/4 majority vote in the party.

 

3.2. Platform Committee;

(a) Every Presidential election (every four years), the Republican National Committee will fund a 'Platform Committee', consisting of the following members;

(i) RNC Chairman

(ii) NRSC Chairman

(ii) Senate Republican Leader

(iii) Senate Republican Whip

(iv) Presidential Candidate(s)/Representatives of Presidential Candidate(s)/Appointees of RNC Chairman (up to three)

(b) The platform committee shall deliberate to write, edit, and update the RNC Platform to be presented before the RNC Convention every four years.

(c) A platform must receive receive a majority vote of the committee to be adopted.

(d) The platform committee will also serve as the RNC Convention Committee, overseeing operations of the RNC national convention, led by the RNC Chairman. 

 

3.3. Republican Presidential Nominee and President;

(a) The Republican Presidential nominee and Republican President shall serve as the de-facto leader of the RNC, retaining authority over his or her campaign and the RNC National Convention.

 

@AriGoodman: The American people who are already suffering may be expected to help bailout the very same companies that caused this in the first place, that's down right criminal. 

@AriGoodman: Very disturbing that 35,000 jobs where lost today, however bailouts are not the answer.

@AriGoodman: Bailouts should target the American people, not businesses that decided to make poor financial decisions. 

28 minutes ago, Fisher said:

(President Joseph Murphy and First Lady Catherine Murphy arrive with Vice President Weaver and his wife. President Murphy strides over to Senators Vissering and Goodman)

 

JOSEPH MURPHY: "Ari, Cindy! It's great to see you both here! What cigar are you smoking tonight, Ari? Tabak Especial?" 

"Congratulations Mr. President! Oh no, I only smoke gurkhas and decades ago the occasionally cuban" Ari winks

16 minutes ago, Viss said:

“Ari, it is so good to see you. And where is your beautiful wife? Richard, you remember Ari don’t you?”

 

Cindy Anne is holding a mixed drink in her hand, probably a Long Island ice tea.

"Hi Cindy Ann! Nice seeing you and Richard again. Unfortunately Mrs Goodman isn't a fan of these sort of things."

9 minutes ago, Marmot_Of_The_Marsh said:

Chandler approaches Ari, smiling widely. "Senator Goodman! Its great to see you!" He turns to Florence. "Hon, you haven't met Ari yet, have you?"

Ari smiles as he puffs on his cigar, "Its great to see you Senator Brighton and its a pleasure to meet your wife; maybe it was a good idea to leave mine at home haha."

Senator Ari Goodman with a cigar in his mouth arrives at the ball without his wife

@AriGoodman: Congratulations to President Murphy, however I hope his bipartisan plan to recover the economy brings about help for the middle class. 

MR. Goodman and MR. McKnight, with thanks to Mrs. Murkowski, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Cole, Mr. Palmer and others, present;

A BILL to establish American energy independence and improvement of US infrastructure.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the 'American Energy Independence Act.' 

SEC. 2. REGULATORY RELIEF. 

1. In General.—The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the exception described in section 395.1(d)(2) of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to on-duty time not including waiting time at a natural gas or oil well site) applies to covered operators, except that the exception shall apply to such operators without regard to whether such operators have received special training or operate vehicles specially constructed to service wells.

(b) Covered Operator Defined.—In this section, the term “covered operator” means the operator of a commercial motor vehicle transporting supplies, equipment, or materials, including sand or water, to or from a natural gas or oil well site.

2. Section 104 of division C of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–432; 120 Stat. 3003) is repealed.

3. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall prescribe, or amend existing, regulations to include as an exception from the definition of the term “hazard”, as defined under subpart C of part 51 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, any stationary container which stores, handles, or processes hazardous substances of an explosive or fire-prone nature that—

(1) has a capacity of 1,320 gallons or less;

(2) is intended to contain common liquid fuels such as gasoline, fuel oil kerosene, diesel, or crude oil;

(3) is sited on land or property that contains a one- to four-family dwelling;

(4) is intended to be used solely by residents of such dwelling; and

(5) is intended to be used by residents of such dwelling exclusively for non-commercial, non-industrial purposes.

SEC. 3. LEASING AND PERMITS.

1. Except as provided in paragraph (2), not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act and every 270 days thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this section as the Secretary) shall conduct a lease sale under the oil and gas leasing program approved under section 101 in each Outer Continental Shelf planning area for which the Secretary determines that there is a commercial interest in purchasing Federal oil and gas leases for production on the outer Continental Shelf;

(a) If the Secretary determines that there is not a commercial interest in purchasing Federal oil and gas leases for production on the outer Continental Shelf in a planning area under this subsection, not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the determination and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall—

determine whether there is a commercial interest in purchasing Federal oil and gas leases for production on the outer Continental Shelf in the planning area; and if the Secretary determines that there is a commercial interest described in subparagraph (A), conduct a lease sale in the planning area.

2. Prior to issuing a permit or approval for the construction of a pipeline to transport crude oil, natural gas or associated liquids production withdrawn from oil and gas leases on the outer Continental Shelf, a Federal agency must seek the concurrence of the Adjacent State if the pipeline is to transit the Adjacent State’s Adjacent Zone between the outer Continental Shelf and landfall. No State may prohibit construction of such a pipeline within its Adjacent Zone or its State waters. However, an Adjacent State may require routing of such a pipeline to one of two alternate landfall locations in the Adjacent State, designated by the Adjacent State, located within 60 miles on either side of a proposed landfall location.

3. The Secretary of the Interior shall issue a final leasing plan for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act for all areas where there exists commercial interest in purchasing Federal oil and gas leases for production.

4. The Secretary of the Interior (in this section referred to as the Secretary) shall promptly prepare an inventory of offshore energy resources of the United States, including through conduct of geological and geophysical explorations by private industry in all of the United States outer Continental Shelf areas of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean under part 251 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).

5. Section 1003 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3143) is repealed.

6. The Secretary of Interior shall establish a plan to begin leasing of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act under sec. 3., subsec. 1 of this act no later than 180 days following the passage of this legislation. 

SEC 4. HALTING EPA OVERREACH. 

1.  Repeal Of Federal Climate Change Regulation.—

(1) GREENHOUSE GAS REGULATION UNDER CLEAN AIR ACT.—Section 302(g) of the Clean Air Act is amended—

(A) by striking “(g) The term” and inserting the following:

“(g) Air Pollutant.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—The term”; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

“(C) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘air pollutant’ does not include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride.”.

2. Effect On Final Rules Of The EPA.—In accordance with this section, the following final rules (or any similar or successor rules) of the Environmental Protection Agency shall be void and have no force or effect:

(a) The final rule entitled Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources” (published at 81 Fed. Reg. 35823 (June 3, 2006)).

(b) The final rule entitled “Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units” (published at 80 Fed. Reg. 64661 (October 23, 2007)).

3. In General.—Before proposing or finalizing any regulation, rule, or policy, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall provide an analysis of the regulation, rule, or policy and describe the direct and indirect net and gross impact of the regulation, rule, or policy on employment in the United States.

(b) Limitation.—No regulation, rule, or policy described in subsection (a) shall take effect if the regulation, rule, or policy has a negative impact on employment in the United States unless the regulation, rule, or policy is approved by Congress and signed by the President.

SEC. 5. STATE AUTHORITY ON FRACKING.

1. Definition Of Hydraulic Fracturing.—In this section the term ‘hydraulic fracturing’ means the process by which fracturing fluids (or a fracturing fluid system) are pumped into an underground geologic formation at a calculated, predetermined rate and pressure to generate fractures or cracks in the target formation and, as a result, increase the permeability of the rock near the wellbore and improve production of natural gas or oil.

2. Prohibition.—The Secretary of the Interior shall not enforce any Federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing, or any component of hydraulic fracturing, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in any State that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for hydraulic fracturing.

3. State Authority.—The Secretary of the Interior shall recognize and defer to State regulations, guidance, and permitting for all activities regarding hydraulic fracturing, or any component of hydraulic fracturing, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on Federal land regardless of whether the regulations, guidance, and permitting are duplicative, more or less restrictive, have different requirements, or do not meet Federal regulations, guidance, or permit requirements.”.

Plain English Summary:

Sec 2: Reduces regulations on oil well hiring procedures, alters HUD regulations on storage of "hazardous material," reduces regulations on oil production and leasing.

Sec 3: Provides avenue for leasing and reducing regulations on leasing of oil sites for the Secretary of Interior, begins production of new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, repeals regulation on leasing in Alaska Arctic Refuge.

Sec 4: Reduces EPA regulations and amends the Clean Air Act on greenhouse gases, reforms enforcement of EPA regulation. 

Sec 5: Provides states with authority in regards to regulating fracturing of fluid and provides the Secretary of Interior with guidance on fracturing. 

CS

Name: Ari Goodman

State: Nebraska 

Committee: HELP

Are you willing to be Ranking Member? yes

Id rather not object on Honore, national hero in restoring law and order in New Orleans. Would rather not write press releases trying to attack him for losing his patience. Unless you focus the argument on whether he's qualified to lead homeland security and on that only. You'd have to walk a balancing act on him. Because like Joseph said it would backfire big time.

I'm all for going after Chavez-Thompson. 

Press Release 01#

Senator Goodman prepares for new session

Omaha, Nebraska: Speaking to reporters, Senator Ari Goodman announced four pieces of key legislation he presented for Nebraskan farmers in which he hopes will be quickly passed and signed by the president. The Senator's bills, Agricultural Export Promotion Act, Veteran Benefits Act, Rural Job Development Act, and the Veterans' Agricultural Apprenticeship Act. Primarily focusing on agriculture, the senator also wanted to present legislation that benefited veterans. In his two veteran related bills, one would expand benefits by decreasing the VA Loan Funding Fee, Increases the burial allowance and increases the automobile grant for veterans. While the other would require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to make direct loans to farmers and ranchers who will provide mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans who have not previously operated a farm or ranch. With his other bills would see, eliminating the loan process for economically disadvantaged rural communities but instead granting them economic grants and would declare the community as a economic development zone. While the Agricultural Export Promotion Act would require  Foreign Agricultural Officers to promote American agriculture and create new customers for American goods.

"In these trying times of economic recession, we need to support rural America who are hurting. I understand that perfectly, I am a small business owner in rural Nebraska and luckily we've managed to survive. But not everyone has and its time that Congress listens to us and that is why I hope these bills will pass the senate and the house and land on the president's desk and signed. We need help out here and if we don't it would be not only awkward but a slap in the face."    

Yeah she also tried to raise the minimum wage in 1996 and she's fully used the AFL-CIO as a political war horse. We can attack her and paint a picture of wicked witch on small businesses.

What are the thoughts on Linda Chavez-Thompson?

@AriGoodman: Glad to see a woman elected to lead senate republicans, the GOP is a party of diversity.

Challenge Janet for sure

On second thought, changing to Arnold Schwarzenegger

The vote to strike out the motion has been approved. Debate will continue

Viss has been acclaimed